Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

Brilliant and engagingly written,
Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine?

Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty

Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo have pioneered the use of randomized control trials in development economics. Work based on these principles, supervised by the Poverty Action Lab, is being carried out in dozens of countries. Drawing on this and their 15 years of research from Chile to India, Kenya to Indonesia, they have identified wholly new aspects of the behavior of poor people, their needs, and the way that aid or financial investment can affect their lives. Their work defies certain presumptions: that microfinance is a cure-all, that schooling equals learning....

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics

If you've ever wondered why Putin is so obsessed with Crimea, why the USA was destined to become a global superpower or why China's power base continues to expand ever outwards, the answers are all here. In 10 chapters, using essays and occasionally the personal experiences of the widely travelled author, Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present and future to offer an essential insight into one of the major factors that determines world history.

Unique Pseudonym says:"Step back and look at politics through a new lens"

World Order: Reflections on the Character of Nations and the Course of History

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of
World Order by Henry Kissinger, read by Nicholas Hormann.
World Order is the summation of Henry Kissinger's thinking about history, strategy and statecraft. As if taking a perspective from far above the globe, it examines the great tectonic plates of history and the motivations of nations, explaining the attitudes that states and empires have taken to the rest of the world from the formation of Europe to our own times.

Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of Flags

When you see your nation's flag fluttering in the breeze, what do you feel? For thousands of years flags have represented our hopes and dreams. We wave them. Burn them. March under their colours. And still, in the 21st century, we die for them. Flags fly at the UN, on the Arab street, from front porches in Texas. They represent the politics of high power as well as the politics of the mob.

The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution

Virtually all human societies were once organized tribally, yet over time most developed new political institutions which included a central state that could keep the peace and uniform laws that applied to all citizens. Some went on to create governments that were accountable to their constituents. We take these institutions for granted, but they are absent or are unable to perform in many of today’s developing countries—with often disastrous consequences for the rest of the world.

The Square and the Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power

What if everything we thought we knew about history was wrong? From the global best-selling author of
Empire,
The Ascent of Money and
Civilization, this is a whole new way of looking at the world. Most history is hierarchical: it's about popes, presidents, and prime ministers. But what if that's simply because they create the historical archives? What if we are missing equally powerful but less visible networks-leaving them to the conspiracy theorists, with their dreams of all-powerful Illuminati?

The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor

Over the last century, global poverty has largely been viewed as a technical problem that merely requires the right "expert" solutions. Yet all too often, experts recommend solutions that fix immediate problems without addressing the systemic political factors that created them in the first place. Further, they produce an accidental collusion with "benevolent autocrats", leaving dictators with yet more power to violate the rights of the poor.

Capital in the Twenty-First Century

What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about the long-term evolution of inequality, the concentration of wealth, and the prospects for economic growth lie at the heart of political economy. But satisfactory answers have been hard to find for lack of adequate data and clear guiding theories. In Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty analyzes a unique collection of data from 20 countries, ranging as far back as the 18th century, to uncover key economic and social patterns.

23 Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism

If you've wondered how we did not see the economic collapse coming, Ha-Joon Chang knows the answer: We didn't ask what they didn't tell us about capitalism. This is a lighthearted book with a serious purpose: to question the assumptions behind the dogma and sheer hype that the dominant school of neoliberal economists-the apostles of the freemarket-have spun since the Age of Reagan.

Kissinger: 1923-1968: The Idealist

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Kissinger: The Idealist by Niall Ferguson, read by Roy McMillan. No American statesman has been as revered and as reviled as Henry Kissinger. Hailed by some as the 'indispensable man' whose advice has been sought by every president from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush, Kissinger has also attracted immense hostility from critics who have cast him as an amoral Machiavellian - the ultimate cold-blooded 'realist'.

The Plundered Planet: Why We Must - and How We Can - Manage Nature for Global Prosperity

Proper stewardship of natural assets and liabilities is a matter of planetary urgency: natural resources have the potential either to transform the poorest countries or to tear them apart, while the carbon emissions and agricultural follies of the rich world could further impoverish them. The Plundered Planet charts a course between unchecked profiteering on the one hand and environmental romanticism on the other to offer realistic and sustainable solutions to dauntingly complex issues.

WTF: What have we done? Why did it happen? How do we take back control?

There has been a people's revolt against the way the West has been run. Brexit, Trump, the recent British and French elections saw millions of people shouting that they were sick to death of things never getting better. In WTF Robert Peston gives us his highly personal account of what those who have ruled us for years got so badly wrong and what we need to do to mend the terrible fractures in our society.

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

What are the most valuable things that everyone should know? Acclaimed clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson has influenced the modern understanding of personality, and now he has become one of the world's most popular public thinkers. In this book, he provides 12 profound and practical principles for how to live a meaningful life, from setting your house in order before criticising others to comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, not someone else today.

And the Weak Suffer What They Must?: Europe, Austerity and the Threat to Global Stability

In 2008, the universe of Western finance outgrew planet Earth. When Wall Street imploded, a death embrace between insolvent banks and bankrupt states consumed Europe. Half a dozen national economies imploded, and several more came close. But the storm is far from over.... From the aftermath of the Second World War to the present, Varoufakis recounts how the eurozone emerged not as a route to shared prosperity but as a pyramid scheme of debt.

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate

We seem to have given up on any serious effort to prevent catastrophic climate change. Exposing the work of ideologues on the right who know the challenge this poses to the free market all too well, Naomi Klein also challenges the failing strategies of environmental groups. It's time to stop running from the full implications of the crisis and begin to embrace them.

Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies

Having done field work in New Guinea for more than 30 years, Jared Diamond presents the geographical and ecological factors that have shaped the modern world. From the viewpoint of an evolutionary biologist, he highlights the broadest movements both literal and conceptual on every continent since the Ice Age, and examines societal advances such as writing, religion, government, and technology.

PostCapitalism: A Guide to Our Future

From Paul Mason, the award-winning Channel 4 presenter,
PostCapitalism is a guide to our era of seismic economic change and how we can build a more equal society. Over the past two centuries or so, capitalism has undergone continual change - economic cycles that lurch from boom to bust - and has always emerged transformed and strengthened. Surveying this turbulent history, Paul Mason wonders whether today we are on the brink of a change so big, so profound, that this time capitalism itself has reached its limits.

East West Street

When human rights lawyer Philippe Sands received an invitation to deliver a lecture in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv, he began to uncover a series of extraordinary historical coincidences. It set him on a quest that would take him halfway around the world in an exploration of the origins of international law and the pursuit of his own secret family history, beginning and ending with the last day of the Nuremberg Trials.

Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams

Why can some birds sleep with only half of their brain? What really happens during REM sleep? Why do our sleep patterns change across a lifetime? Sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life, health and longevity. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep or what good it serves or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when it is absent. In this book, neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker charts 20 years of cutting-edge research.

Utopia for Realists

We live in a time of unprecedented upheaval, when technology and so-called progress have made us richer but more uncertain than ever before. We have questions about the future, society, work, happiness, family and money, and yet no political party of the right or left is providing us with answers. So, too, does the time seem to be coming to an end when we looked to economists to help us define the qualities necessary to create a successful society. We need a new movement.

Simon Caldwell says:"interesting but more radical then the title sugges"

The Undercover Economist

Ever wondered why the gap between rich and poor nations is so great, or why it's so difficult getting a foot on the property ladder, or how to outwit Starbucks? This audiobook offers the hidden story behind these and other questions, as economist Tim Harford reveals how supermarkets, airlines, and coffee chains, to name just a few, are vacuuming money from our wallets.

Fire and Fury

The first nine months of Donald Trump's term were stormy, outrageous - and absolutely mesmerising. Now, thanks to his deep access to the West Wing, best-selling author Michael Wolff tells the riveting story of how Trump launched a tenure as volatile and fiery as the man himself. In this explosive audiobook, Wolff provides a wealth of new details about the chaos in the Oval Office.

Publisher's Summary

In the universally acclaimed and award-winning The Bottom Billion, Paul Collier reveals that 50 failed states - home to the poorest one billion people on earth - pose the central challenge of the developing world in the 21st century. The book shines much-needed light on this group of small nations, largely unnoticed by the industrialized West, that are dropping further and further behind the majority of the world's people, often falling into an absolute decline in living standards.

A struggle rages within each of these nations between reformers and corrupt leaders - and the corrupt are winning. Collier analyzes the causes of failure, pointing to a set of traps that ensnare these countries, including civil war, a dependence on the extraction and export of natural resources, and bad governance. Standard solutions do not work, he writes; aid is often ineffective, and globalization can actually make matters worse, driving development to more stable nations.

What the bottom billion need, Collier argues, is a bold new plan supported by the Group of Eight industrialized nations. If failed states are ever to be helped, the G8 will have to adopt preferential trade policies, new laws against corruption, new international charters, and even conduct carefully calibrated military interventions. Collier has spent a lifetime working to end global poverty. In The Bottom Billion, he offers real hope for solving one of the great humanitarian crises facing the world today.

What the Critics Say

"Set to become a classic. Crammed with statistical nuggets and common sense, his book should be compulsory reading." (The Economist)"If Sachs seems too saintly and Easterly too cynical, then Collier is the authentic old Africa hand: he knows the terrain and has a keen ear.... If you've ever found yourself on one side or the other of those arguments -and who hasn't? - then you simply must read this book." (Niall Ferguson, The New York Times Book Review)

There are some striking observations about poverty and the four 'traps' which leave a section of the worlds population in the 'bottom billion' with little chance of escaping. It explains how the plight of the bottom billion affect us all and consider the factors that maintain the current position then examines why this is the case - e.g. assessment of development aid, why this is so important and yet is only part of the solution; assessment of international government policies and why they tend to hinder rather than help progress. Finally the book has many profound suggestions which could help close the gap for the bottom billion and minimise the prospect of the four traps.

It is well researched with plenty of examples to back up the hypothesis.

What did you like best about this story?

Lots of interesting examples of how the world views the bottom billion, and how certain key players (e.g. Governments, Aid industry, Global businesses) behave in a way that is sometimes counter-intuitive.

What about Gideon Emery’s performance did you like?

Easy to listen to- informative and at a good pace.

Any additional comments?

An inspirational book with great ideas to change the world. Astounding to think this was written in 2007 - change seems to be slow since then with much of what is written here still applicable today.

Collier lays out a comprehensive survey of what has caused this situation and the challenges of bringing solutions to it. Many of his research based observations are initially counter intuitive, until you get to hear about the bizarre incentives to good as well as bad behavior. Solid narration.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

xmuxi

Malta

08/12/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Eye opening inspirational and informative"

I wanted to discover the issues facing the poorest, what has worked and what hasn't and I got it.

I only wish there was a prologue that included the events that took place in the 10 years after the book was written. I feel that I have a gap in my knowledge.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in humanitarian aid, policy and what can be done about the poorest of the poor.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Gare&Sophia

Alexandria, VA, United States

19/07/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Is poverty a disease or a wound?"

I really enjoyed this, primarily UN centric, treatment of the hidden realities of that group of people who rarely make the news. If you're an international traveler, these are the people that you see walking in the broiling sun, or begging on the side of the road.

Yet, the book is hopeful in offering new solutions, some that may interest business people such as low end insurance products.

Overall this book was compelling, and interesting from start to finish.

Gare Henderson

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Craig C.

austin, TX United States

13/06/10

Overall

"Great use of data"

Great use of data. It would have been nice to have shown some of the raw data.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Helena

23/08/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"A must read for global citizens"

A fascinating book, though not always easy to follow, that explains the financial side of national poverty. Important for every person who has ever considered donating to poor countries

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

RI in Canada

29/09/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Brilliant analysis of the problem, but solutions?"

Collier has done an excellent job of assessing the problem: he identifies four "traps" that drop societies into poverty and expertly shows how those have played a role in leaving the world's poorest where they are at the bottom. He goes on to analyze the challenges of trade vs. aid (his answer is we need both), and how each can cause problems or help build toward solutions. However, in his final few chapters where he is putting forward his "solutions" they are so pie-in-the-sky, so far beyond the effective sphere of influence of all but a few readers who may have their hands on the levers of power, that the book is ultimately somewhat disappointing. It did not leave me empowered. It left me aware, but hopeless.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Qi Han

01/08/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Wonderful!"

Great audio book. Well written. The reader is very good. I am an economics graduate student. I feel it helps me a lot in understanding how econometrical approach can be used to analyze various real world issues in economic development.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Adrian

24/03/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"truly profound insights into the world"

paul collier did a great job on explaining the problems of the so called bottom billion. more over he comes up with radical solutions to build a better world for everybody in the future. great peace of work!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Sam Motes

Tampa

03/01/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Blueprint to close the gap"

I read The Bottom Billion over a year ago but saw it cheap on Audible since I own the kindle version and decided to give it another listen. Talks about the gap between the developed economies versus those with citizens from the bottom billion of the poorest people on the planet and why the gap is expanding instead of narrowing. The traps include resource trap, land locked trap, conflict trap (military coup prone), unstable neighbors trap, etc. They also are impacted by adverse migration patterns that often lead to a brain drain of the talent that could help pull the country out of the economic morass leaving for green pastures in developed countries. The traps form a perfect storm for much of Africa and explains much of the economic struggles there. Collier discusses options to help close the gap starting with the common response that has limited impact of direct aid through more impactful tactics that could truly help.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

jon

salem, OR, United States

23/10/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Impressive yet conservatively based"

Would you listen to The Bottom Billion again? Why?

This book has so many amazing statistics to teach about the reality of the current economic model, drawing from the past and projecting into the future. Personally, I feel that a more creative interpretation would be beneficial to "unsticking" the bottom billion by cross-pollinating economics and politics with humanities and philosophy. For example, why not suggest restructuring the military of developed countries to primarily aid the bottom billion by supporting their infrastructure during ecological crisis as well as socio-economic. This restructuring of the current system (first from the top and then to bottom) supports it's growth by making space and eliminating what is outdated and no longer useful.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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